FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT VOLLEYBALL

Before the season began, UC Irvine men's volleyball coach David Kniffin said he needed to see as much adversity for his team as possible. Now 19 matches in, the prophecy has largely come true, as the two-time-defending NCAA champion Anteaters entered Friday's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation home match against UC Santa Barbara in ninth place. Since only the top eight in the 13-school conference make the MPSF Tournament, from which the winner emerges with a guaranteed berth in the NCAA Tournament, even the most conservative observer might note that UCI is living a bit on the edge.

LOS ANGELES - Sometimes before you can find what you need, you need to see what you've got. The UC Irvine men's volleyball team teetered along that fine line during a six-match, season-opening road trip. Tuesday night was another stumble, as No. 5-ranked USC outlasted the No. 7-ranked Anteaters, 20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19, 15-10, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at Galen Center. UCI (3-3, 0-2 in conference), which has been known for utilizing its depth to alter mid-match momentum in recent years, virtually stuck with its starting lineup for the duration against the Trojans (3-0, 2-0)

On Sept. 7, Hayley Hodson received a phone call from Karch Kiraly she will never forget. The volleyball legend called Hodson the day before her 17th birthday. He told Hodson he had a spot for her to join his U.S. under-23 women's team for an international volleyball tournament. "He said it was in Mexico and in two weeks, and I was like, 'OK,'" said Hodson, whose junior season with the Corona del Mar High girls' volleyball team had just started, barely one match old. "With Karch Kiraly as your coach, it was an incredible opportunity I wasn't going to pass up. " Hodson accepted the opportunity of a lifetime, but she just had to make sure it was OK with her coach, Steve Astor, and teachers at CdM. They cleared the trip, allowing her to miss 10 days of school and eight matches.

Whitford named MVP Sage Hill School junior outside hitter Kekai Whitford has been named the Academy League MVP after the girls' volleyball program reached unprecedented heights this season. Whitford, along with first-team members, junior outside hitter Halland McKenna and junior setter Maddy Abbott, led Sage Hill (28-6, 11-1) to a share of the league title, a CIF Southern Section Division 3A title, and its first CIF State Southern California Regional Division III finals appearance.

For a program that has grown so accustomed to winning, perhaps the greatest accomplishment achieved by UC Irvine men's volleyball is its ability to withstand loss. After capturing their third NCAA title in six seasons in 2012, the Anteaters last season absorbed the loss of their figurehead, leader and coach, John Speraw, as well as a four-time All-American in Carson Clark, who just happens to be the school's all-time kills leader. The result was yet another national crown that first-year coach and former Speraw assistant David Kniffin trumpeted as a triumph of the culture of success that permeates the program.

April Ross, a Costa Mesa resident and former Newport Harbor High volleyball standout, has been named 2013 Female Beach Athlete of the Year by USA Volleyball. Ross, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist who played with three partners, played in nine domestic and 13 international tournaments in 2013, earning six titles and several other top-three finishes. In seven Assn. of Volleyball Professionals events, she won three times, twice with longtime partner Jennifer Kessy (Salt Lake City, and Atlantic City)